Grand Waldo to host Asian Poker Open

The Grand Waldo Casino, run by the Galaxy Entertainment Group, is bringing world-class poker to Macau on November 22-27 when it hosts the Asian Poker Open.

The tournament’s organizers, First Impression Ltd., are calling it the “PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau: Asian Poker Open”, and claim it will be the “first time for No Limit Texas Hold’em poker to be played live on Chinese soil”.
The Asian Poker Open is a key stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour, an annual series of televised No Limit Texas Hold'em poker tournaments held across the region. It will take place six days, featuring several events. The main event involves a US$2,500 (HK$19,500) buy-in, with an estimated prize pool of US$600,000 (HKD$4,680,000), and a potential first prize of US$170,000 (HKD1,326,000). There is also a US$15,000 (HK$117,000) “High Roller” buy-in event.” Total prize pool is estimated at well over HK$10 million.

Grand Waldo Casino General Manager Gary Woollard said the event promises to be a lot of fun. “Poker is enjoying tremendous growth in Asia and we are very excited to be a part of this and to be the first casino to host this event,” he said.
First Impression’s Elton Tsang added: “Bringing the sport of poker to Macau has always been my vision because we’re convinced that Texas Hold’em Poker will be the next big hit in Macau. We are going to show people how thrilling it is to play and even just watch a poker tournament, and demonstrate that poker is a game involving real skill rather than just luck.”

Matt Savage, one of the world’s foremost and well-respected tournament directors, will direct all poker tournaments during the week. Savage is a founder of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA), the developer of a set of standardized poker-tournament rules used in major tournaments around the world. He has hosted and appeared on more than 300 televised poker shows and has directed poker events around the globe.

Players wishing to sign up for the tournament may register online at www.asianpokeropen.com; www.appt.com, or go in person to the cashier in Grand Waldo Casino during the week of the event. There will also be free online qualifiers running daily on www.PokerStars.net. A special discounted room rate at Grand Waldo Hotel will be offered to all participants on a first-come, first-served basis.